The Tiger

Tiger scent marking a tree. Scent is a way tigers recognise each other. Tigers do recognise each other and they probably achieve this by identifying other tigers by: appearance and scent (odour) sounds Appearance Each tiger has unique markings including the marking on the face. Human can identify tigers by their coat markings but we are unsure if tigers can do it. It seems reasonably plausible that they can. Scent Tiger scent mark like all cats wild and domestic. The scent sprayed on objects is as good as a calling card stating the name and address (in human terms). It is clear that tigers recognise other tigers by the scent that they deposit on objects. Also, the scent will be on tigers as it emanates from scent producing glands at various locations on their body as is the case for domestic cats. Scent glands for the domestic cat: Sounds Well, neither the internet (as a source of information) nor my excellent reference book state that tigers can recognise the sounds of other tigers su...

Siberian tiger caught in a camera trap in the far north of China. This is a Google Map showing the location where this Siberian tiger was captured by a remote camera trap device. These cameras are left alone and activated by movement. The name of the location as reported in online news media is confusing as there appears to be different versions of the same name of the names are wrong. For sure, though, this large tiger was spotted in a mountain range called 'Greater Hinggan Mountains' in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Xiao Hinggan Ling as shown in the map is an individual mountain as I understand it. In any event the location is in the extreme north-east of China and a place where the experts believed that the tiger was extinct. They've been proved wrong. As is the case with all tiger populations, there has been a massive diminishing of numbers since the turn of the 20th century. Some subspecies of tiger have become extinct in the wild.  The Siberian tiger is...

This is a triple comparison focusing on the paw size of a regular domestic cat. The adult tiger paw is genuinely enormous. Its size emphasises the size of the tiger. The Siberian tiger species is the world's biggest cat. I have a feeling that the paw we see in the photo is that of a Siberian tiger. Picture comparing domestic cat paw size with tiger paw size and human hand (male). Image: MikeB The strength of the tiger is very apparent in this photograph. Physically tigers are very powerful. They are burly animals supremely well equipped to single-handedly capture and subdue very large prey animals. Their strength is legendary being able to drag large prey animals across rough ground and even uphill over considerable distances to cache the animal before consuming it. The skull is large and foreshortened. This increases the bite force at the tips of the amazing set of canine teeth. The neck is short and the shoulders are broad. The forelimbs are massive, ideal for grappling with pre...

NEWS AND VIEWS - VIRGINIA, USA: Carole Baskin, the founder and chief executive of Big Cat Rescue (BCR) always detested the private zoo, big cat kings of America who she accused of abusing and exploiting big cats for commercial gain. There were a number of them. I use the past tense.  4 ‘Tiger Kings’ in America have now been charged with animal cruelty . Doc Antle and pet leopard. Image: Netflix. Since Carole Baskin, in effect, put Joe Exotic behind bars for a long stretch because of his attempts to have her murdered, she has reigned supreme as the antithesis and antidote of America's private zoo exploiters. She is going to sell up (or has sold) Big Cat Rescue and do other work with the proceeds to help wildlife welfare and conservation. Her mission at Big Cat Rescue is over. She has achieved her goals. For a long time, she was picking up the pieces of individuals such as Joe Exotic and other private zoo owners who also abused big cats and who were unable to look after them properly...

D. Smith in his work: "The role of dispersal in structuring the Chitwan tiger population" (1993) found that young tigers became independent of their mothers at seventeen to twenty-four months of age. They continued to hunt within the natal range (the home range of their mother effectively).  When do tigers become independent? 17-24 months of age. Image: MikeB This allows them to hone their hunting skills in relative safety. After doing this for a few months the young tigers 'dispersed' (left) from the natal range to find their own range at between 18-24 months of age. Male cubs learn to kill on their own and become independent earlier than females. By 15 months of age males often leave their mother for several days at a time to test independence. Females stay with their mother for longer. RELATED:  Bengal tiger travels 1300 km to find his home range and a mate . A sister and brother, both 18 months old, were watched for their behavior at this stage of their developmen...

Vietnam's tiger conservation efforts has arrived too late with just 5 wild tigers in the country! The video explains why Vietnamese people should think about tiger conservation and refuse to buy tiger glue among other tiger products. Tigers were plentiful in Vietnam. Now there are five in the wild. That's almost as good as saying they are extinct in the wild in Vietnam. The video is good. I like it. But it's too late and the Vietnamese are engaged in a particularly obnoxious kind of speciesism concerning one species: the cat. Their culture allows them to eat domestic cats after a brutal death and yet there is a big push to save the tiger. As I said this is speciesism and it is illogical to me. It is remarkable that so many products are made from tiger body parts many based on unsubstantiated superstition. Killing tigers for body part products is killing them for no reason at all. It is just self-indulgent nonsense. Education for Nature - Vietnam says that the remaining five...

The answer is yes , when possible. I have two sources for that. The first one is probably the best. It comes from my book Wild Cats of the World by Mel and Fiona Sunquist, perhaps the best book on wild cat species you can buy. In their section on "conflict with humans" they state that: "The most significant reduction in human deaths followed the 1987 introduction of inexpensive rubberised masks, which are worn on the back of the head. The authorities reasoned that as tigers normally attack prey from behind, rather than face to face, a mask worn on the back of the head should be a deterrent". Human wearing a face mask on the back of the head for protection against a tiger attack. The photo is by Raghu Rai of Magnum . They conducted an experiment to prove that this was correct. About 2,500 masks were issued to approximately 8,000 workers entering a tiger reserve. The authorities said that "The results were dramatic". In 1987 nobody wearing the masks were ki...